Show Archive

The music and lyrics of Johnny Mercer is part of the first hour of Radio Heartland tonight. Minneapolis jazz singer Debbie Duncan is doing a tribute to the Great American Songbook and she'll talk about and perform some Mercer's songs. We'll also listen to the music of the late Bill Hinkley, who passed away this week after a long battle with leukemia. In the second hour, and for Memorial Day, we'll hear music from some of the artists we lost this past year including local blues guitarist Cam Waters, jazz singer Lena Horne, Kate McGarrigle and more.

Songwriters often make references to their own musical heroes. Tonight, we’ll talk with local singer-songwriter Adam Granger who just recorded an entire album of songs written by his friend John Hadley. Hadley rarely sings his own music, but many of his songs have been recorded by Nashville regulars. In the second hour, the power of musical duos. We’ll talk with Bob Bingham and Gordon Thorne who both live in log cabins near Grand Marais, Minnesota. They followed different life journeys to where they finally met in the woods and began a musical partnership in the blues.

Austin, Texas singer Carrie Rodriguez passed through Minnesota recently in support of her new album, "Love and Circumstance", a collection of cover songs from artists she respects. We'll spend the first hour of the show with Carrie in the studio, along with Luke Jacobs from the local band Romantica. In the second hour, we'll examine the subject of fire in song. Whether real or imagined, flames have been used literally, and also as a way to describe various stages of romance. We'll hear music from the Meters, Johnny Cash, Dave Alvin and many more.

Tonight, we’ll chat with veteran Minnesota musician Peter Ostroushko. Peter’s career goes back to the early 70’s as a studio mandolin and fiddle player. He also spent several years as a regular in the house band for A Prairie Home Companion. He’s just released a new album of instrumental compositions focusing mostly on the waltz. In the second hour, Becky Schlegel stops in. She’s a native South Dakotan who grew up playing piano in her mom’s weekend country band. She brought her country and bluegrass voice to the Twin Cities in the late 90s, and moved to Nashville this past fall with her family. Her new record is titled, “Dandelion.”

Tonight we'll have a conversation with Bob Franke (FRANK-ee), a travelling musician whose reputation as a songwriter is well known in the industry. So much so, that a good part of his career now is teaching songwriting to aspiring musicians. We'll also have a excerpt from a recent Minnesota concert from Iowa singer-songwriter Dave Moore. In the second hour, Eliza Gilkyson stops by. Her latest album, "Beautiful World" is as much about love as it is uncertainty. She'll talk about that balance and how she maintains it in her writing.

Hour 1
David Wilcox - For Real
June Tabor - Hard Love
Garnet Rogers - The Great Storm is Over
Bob Franke - I'm In Your Corner (live)
Bob Franke - My Next Drink (live)
Bob Franke - William The Streak (live)
Austin Lounge Lizards - Flatnose The Tree-Climbing Dog
McKinley Mitchell - The Last Home Run
Dave Moore - My Perfect Game
Dave Moore - Let's Take Our Time and Do It Right
Bob Franke - Trouble In This World (It'll Be All Right)

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Tonight we'll meet Jasper Lepak (LEE-pack), an Arizona transplant to the Twin Cities who now lives in South Africa. She has a new disc that we'll hear from called "Send Me Home. In the second hour we'll feature a conversation with Scottish folksinger Archie Fisher. He's had long career as a singer-songwriter and also a host for the BBC Radio Scotland. His long lasting show, Travelling Folk, ended last month after nearly 30 years.

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Tonight, a conversation with Minnesota singer-songwriter Peter Mayer. His new album is being released this spring and we had a chance to chat with him about it and have him play some of the new material for us live in the studio. In the second hour, we'll meet Anais (ah-NAY-is) Mitchell, a songwriter from the east coast who just released a project called Hadestown, telling the story of Orpheus and Eurydice (you-RID-dih-see) as a folk opera, using voices from all over the music world including Bon Iver, and Greg Brown as the voice of the devil.

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In the first hour, an interview with Canadian singer-songwriter Romi Mayes. She's been nominated for the prestigious Juno songwriting award this year and tours tirelessly all over North America most of the time. Her latest album is Achin' In Yer Bones. We'll chat with her and hear music from some of her musical influences. In the second hour, hold on to your hats. We’re going to examine the subject of speed. There are songs about racing, impatience, horses and cars from all sorts of artists in the library including Tim O'Brien, James McMurtry, Claudia Schmidt and the Cadillacs.

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In the first hour we'll revisit a couple of favorite interviews from the past year. First, Minnesota band Two Many Banjos who hail from Duluth mostly. They have traditional bluegrass instrumentation…except for two banjos. And we'll also meet Australian couple Kasey Chambers and Shane Nicholson who both came from rock and pop backgrounds to produce an endearing country-sounding duo album. In the second hour, some excerpts from a concert recorded in Rochester, Minnesota last fall featuring some of the area's greatest songwriting talents trading tunes on stage. We'll hear from Jeremy Messersmith, Adam Levy, Molly Maher (MAY-er), Brandon Sampson and Darren Jackson.

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Tonight, we'll spend some time in the studio with Michigan singer-songwriter Claudia Schmidt. Claudia stops through Minnesota several times a year and never fails to bring new material. She's currently touring with a brand new album which is her own mix of folk, jazz and poetry. In the second hour, natural calamities in music... earthquakes, volcanoes and floods. Listen for nature's mayhem on Radio Heartland tonight with music from Johnny Cash, Marcia Ball, Elvis Costello, Neko Case, The Duhks (ducks), and more.

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Tonight, we'll talk with our friend Ann Reed, who's up do something different for a celebration of Women's History Month. She's exploring the Great American Songbook and the lyrics of Dorothy Fields—a departure from her usual guitar and folk singing style. In hour two, female banjo pickers. We'll meet local singer-songwriter, banjo, guitar and fiddle player Eliza Blue. She's actually an English major, who considered music late and is releasing her third record this month.

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Tonight we’ll listen to female trios of singers, some of them sisters, some not. Along the way we’ll chat with the Canadian musical trio The Wailin’ Jennys, who are NOT sisters, by the way. Their line-up has changed personnel a few times over the years, and all three have solo singer-songwriter careers as well. They’ve recently released a live album on Red House Records. In the second hour, a salute to the cow. We’ll herd up music from our library about cows, cowboys, cowgirls and all things bovine.

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Tonight we'll play excerpts from a concert recorded in Rochester last fall, part of the Americana Showcase Series featuring Romantica and Tom Feldman of the Get Rites.
In the second hour, we'll chat with Bill Staines who is somewhat of a legend amongst traveling singer-songwriters. He logs thousands of miles every year playing festivals, coffee houses, and other venues all over North America.

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Tonight we'll meet Nancy Harms. She grew up in Clara City, Minnesota, and became an elementary music teacher after college. But an early exposure to jazz made her realize her bigger plans. She's just released her first solo CD with local Twin Cities jazz pros. In the second hour we'll explore music about trouble at sea - sinking ships, storms and lost loves. Our musical contributors include Stan Rogers, Boiled in Lead, Johnny Horton and, naturally, Gordon Lightfoot.

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Tonight we'll look at love relationships gone bad in music. Listen for a collection of songs about trust, infidelity, lies, questions, cheating and excuses from Charley Pride, Etta James, Tom Waits and more. In the second hour we'll talk with the Brass Kings, a local trio with a new CD this month. They use some unconventional instruments like the washboard and the washtub bass. So we'll also hear from other bands using creativity in place of traditional instrumentation.

Tonight, a couple of local musicians who count Leo Kottke as one of the main influences. In the first hour, finger-style guitarist Ben Woolman who has a new solo CD out this month. He counts a backstage meeting with Kottke as one of the most memorable moments in his career. In hour two, we'll visit with Todd Menton, part of the group Boiled in Lead. He also has a solo career that was sparked at a young age by a promoter telling him to try and be someone OTHER than Leo Kottke.

Tonight, we'll meet some of the cast of a Twin Cities production called, "They'll Say We're in Love". The show features several local singers doing love songs - just in time for Valentine's Day next week. Jazz-blues singer Regina Marie Williams is joined by Sanford Moore at the piano for our segment. The show is at the newly re-modeled Capri Theater in North Minneapolis. In the second hour, we'll examine songwriting: what does it take to write a song and why? Where do song ideas come from, and how does a writer structure a song? We'll also hear from some Nashville songwriters Don Henry and Sally Barris who were part of concert last fall in Rochester.

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Tonight, we'll have a conversation with singer-songwriter David Hanners who has just recorded a new CD, "The Traveler's Burden". He's also a newspaper reporter and his latest recording introduces listeners to deep characters and some dark places. He'll also talk about some of his greatest songwriting influences including Townes Van Zandt and Bill Morrissey. In the second hour: we're all from somewhere, whether we're proud of it or not. We'll examine songs about where you're from, where you live, where you'd rather live and where you'll never return, with music from Alison Krauss, Robert Johnson, Tony Bennett and more.

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Tonight, a conversation with Heather Masse (MASS-see). Besides being a member of The Wailin' Jennys, she's also a frequent guest vocalist on A Prairie Home Companion. She also has sung with Joy Kills Sorrow. She has a brand new solo record out this month on Red House Records. In the second hour, we'll have a conversation with Minnesota music legend Spider John Koerner (KER-ner). Along with Tony Glover and the late Dave Ray, he helped jumpstart the folk - blues movement in Minnesota in the early sixties. He'll talk about those early days, his influences and how he remembers songs 50 years later.

Hour 2
Koerner, Ray and Glover - "The Boys Was Shootin' It Up Last Night"
Leadbelly - "Western Plain (When I Was A Cowboy)"
Bonnie Raitt - "I Ain't Blue"
Spider John Koerner - "Careless Love (Live)"
Spider John Koerner - "Last Lonesome Blues (Live)"
Spider John Koerner - "The Cuckoo (Live)"
The Pines - "The Skipper and His Wife"
Dave Ray and Tony Glover - "Sitting On Top of the World"
John Hammond - "Get Behind The Mule"
Loudon Wainwright III - "The Man Who Rode The Mule Around the World"
Alison Brown - "The Road West"January 16, 2010

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How do you define a band that crosses musical genres? That's a common problem for the Chris Silver Band. Chris comes from bluegrass, but has joined with musicians who play rock, blues, reggae and everything in between. Chris and the band are our guests in the first hour tonight. They have a new album being released next week. In the second hour we'll meet Bryan Bowers. He's an autoharp virtuoso and has been traveling all over the world for decades, making friends, telling stories and playing music.

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In the first hour, a conversation with Kevin Anthony, a Galveston, Texas native who made his way to Minnesota and formed the Twin City Playboys. He's out with a new solo album this month full of original music based on his roots of Cajun swing and country tunes. In the second hour, we'll take a look at the many songs in our collection that relate to a particular weather phenomenon we're experiencing this season, the wind. We'll have music from Greg Brown, Lucinda Williams, the Sons of the Pioneers and Ella Fitzgerald just to name a few.

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Tonight, good guys, bad guys and coal miners. We'll hear songs dealing with breaking the law in the first hour. Swindlers, con men, gamblers and criminals from artists such as Johnny Cash, Loudon Wainwright III and the Persuasions. We'll also meet singer-songwriter Krista Detor who's father made a few mistakes in his lifetime. In the second hour we'll hear a portion of the first concert in the Americana Showcase Series recorded at the Rochester Civic Theater. Tonight's special guest is Kentucky songwriter Chris Knight.

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Tonight we'll help wrap up 2009 and ring in 2010 in music with songs about New Year's resolutions, promises and regrets. We'll have music from Peter Mayer, Frank Sinatra and Karen Savoca to name a few. And in the second hour, we'll have a visit from the Hobo Nephews of Uncle Frank. They've had an extremely busy year with the release of a new record and a LOT of touring around the country. They found time to stop by our studio to talk with us and play a few songs from their new CD, "Traveling Show."

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Tonight, we'll feature an excerpt from Neal and Leandra's annual Holiday Show, recorded at the Cedar Cultural Center on December 11. Radio Heartland was also there to celebrate our first birthday. In the second hour, we'll meet the band, Works Progress Administrationsomething of a modern "super group" in the music world. The band is a group of friends from Nickel Creek, Toad the Wet Sprocket and Lyle Lovett's Large Band. They were recently in our studio to chat.

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Tonight, we'll hear traditional music from two places. In the first hour we'll spend some time with Irish singer Katie McMahon. She began her career touring as a soprano with the international hit "Riverdance." While in the Twin Cities for a concert she met her husband to be. Now she lives in Minneapolis. She's currently touring her annual Celtic Christmas concert.

In the second hour, Sherry Minnick stops by. She's sung all kinds of music in her long career, but most recently focuses on old folk melodies that have gone by the wayside.

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Tonight, we'll meet Vicky Emerson. A Midwesterner, at heart, that found herself moving to Manhattan. Quite a change for anyone, but for Vicky's music, it was a push in the right direction.

In the second hour our guests are the Steele family. For 25 years, J.D., Fred, Jearlyn, Jevetta and Billy have been doing an annual Christmas show in the Twin Cities. This year is their last, so we'll chat with them about that and they'll start our holiday music library on fire... so to speak.

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Tonight, we'll meet singer-songwriter Cliff Eberhardt and talk about traveling, songwriting and recording with as little help as possible. Cliff is touring currently in support of his latest album on Red House Records, "500 Miles, The Blue Rock Sessions" and talks about the unique recording process he used.

In the second hour, we'll meet Minnesota blues guitarist Jeff Ray. Jeff grew up in Rochester and learned much of his musical style in Memphis. He and his band, The Stakes, stopped in the studio and played live on Radio Heartland.

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Tonight, an hour of music about the Thanksgiving season - songs of gratitude, of satisfaction, or eating too much. We'll have music from Charles Brown, Alison Krauss and Ray Davies among others. In the second hour we'll meet North Dakota singer-songwriter Chuck Suchy (SOO-kee). He also farms full time near Mandan and is taking time away from the ranch to tour in support of his latest CD, "Unraveling Heart." We'll also talk with Tim and Paul Frantzich (FRANT-zick) who are putting together a show to raise money for hungry children around the world.

Hour 2
Rani Arbo and Daisy Mayhem - "The Farmer is the Man"
Adrienne Young - "Plow to the End of the Row"
Stan Rogers - "The Field Behind the Plow"
Chuck Suchy Interview
Chuck Suchy - "Molly's Field (live)"
Chuck Suchy - "Be With You (live)"
Chuck Suchy - "Down In The Water (live)"
Susan Werner - "Barbed Wire Boys"
Charlie Maguire - "Getting In The Cows"
Tim and Paul Frantzich Interview
Tim and Paul Frantzich - "This Song Is A Boat (live)"November 14, 2009

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Tonight, breaking musical boundries. We'll introduce you to Project Trio, an ensemble of classical trained musicians who cross over into jazz, folk and even rock with their "beat boxing" flutist Greg Pattillo. In the second hour we'll meet two international singers: Lisa Hannigan from Ireland who's been touring the US a lot in the past year; and Yasmin Levy (LEH-vee) from Israel who sings in the nearly extinct language of her Sephardic grandparents, called "ladino."

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Tonight we'll talk with a couple of different musical legends. Willie Murphy has been a staple on the music scene in Minnesota since the sixties. He traveled all over the Midwest with his band Willie and the Bumble Bees and has played with everyone from Muddy Waters to Carl Perkins. He even produced Bonnie Raitt's very first album on Warner. In the second hour, we'll talk with John Gorka who has become one of the most sought after singer songwriters in the country.

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Tonight, what else? It's Halloween, so we've brushed away the cobwebs from the music library in search of "tunes for goons." We'll have scary (or not) music from Tom Waits, The Bills, The Duhks, Louis Armstrong, The Jolly Boys and the scariest of them all, Bob Dylan. In the second hour, it seems Autumn is a time for musicians to release new recordings, and we've got a slew of them. We've put together an hour of new music from local and national performerssome of them new to us too.

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Tonight, more material from Ann Reed. Ann is out with a new album this month and she'll sing some of those songs and chat about "Where The Earth is Round." We'll also have a studio visit from the cast from "Buddy - The Buddy Holly Story" now showing at the History Theatre in St. Paul. Its been over 50 years since "the day the music died", but a cast of young musicians from the McNally Smith College of Music dug into the Holly songlist and pulled out some classics.

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Tonight, all things Midwest. We'll talk with our friends from Iowa, The Pines. The nice guy duo from Iowa City and Spencer is now a quartet with bass and drums. Their latest album on Red House Records is "Tremolo," and has even been reviewed in Rolling Stone magazine. In the second hour we'll spend some time in the studio with a singer songwriter from Michigan, Drew Nelson. Drew writes about his small farming town up-bringing, his time in the Navy and his love for literature. His latest album is "Dusty Road to Beulah Land."

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For the first hour, you'll want your seatbelts on. We're going to examine the subject of speed. There are songs about racing, impatience, horses and cars from all sorts of artists in the library including Tim O'Brien, James McMurtry, Claudia Schmidt and the Cadillacs. In the second hour we'll visit with one of our favorites, Rani Arbo and Daisy Mayhem. The band hails from Massachusetts and has a diverse musical background including Celtic, New Orleans Jazz, folk and bluegrass.

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Tonight, we’ll meet Harry Manx. He was born on the Isle of Man, raised in Canada, and developed his unique musical style working in the blues clubs of Canada and studying eastern music in India. His latest album is titled "Bread and Buddah." In the second hour, space travel, aliens, astronauts, and inter-stellar oddities. We've searched the music library for discs with those topics and found songs from Peter Mayer, Ry Cooder, Dave Frishberg, Aimee Mann, They Might Be Giants, and more.

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Tonight, disasters and good luck. In the first hour we’ll explore music about trouble at sea " sinking ships, storms and lost loves. Our musical contributors include Stan Rogers, Boiled in Lead, Johnny Horton and, naturally, Gordon Lightfoot. In the second hour, we’ll meet Sally Barris (BAIR-iss)…a native Minnesotan who has found a successful career as a songwriter in the competitive atmosphere of Nashville, Tennessee.

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Tonight we'll meet a singer-songwriter who followed his heart to Minnesota. Jake Armerding has made a name for himself on the east coast, but in the past year has married a Midwestern girl and now calls the Twin Cities home. He's currently celebrating the release of his 5th record. In the second hour we'll examine the Autumnal Equinox and pull out music from the library about the approaching season. You'll hear music from Frank Sinatra, Girlyman, Neil Young, Charlie Maguire and more.

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This week, since most schools in Minnesota have started by now, we decided to take a look at the subject of education in music. We'll feature songs about school, high school, elementary school and college from artists including Steve Martin, Chuck Berry, Van Morrison and more. In hour two we'll meet Brandon Sampson from the band Six Mile Grove. The band is from Lyle, Minnesota originally and Brandon talks about growing up in a tiny town, learning to play music and eventually touring with Johnny Cash's guitar player.

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In the first hour we'll help celebrate the working person for this Labor Day weekend with songs about work, about the toils and troubles, the bosses, love as work and appreciation for the employee. You'll hear music from Pete Seeger, Bruce Springsteen, Billie Holiday, the Roches and more. In the second hour, music from our live show at the Minnesota State Fair. A week ago Friday, Dale hosted two hours of live music from the Minnesota Public Radio booth. Our guests were singer-songwriter Ann Reed, local string duo The DitchLilies and the trio Bojono which is Boyd Lee, Joe Cruz (CROOZ) and Noah Hoehn (HAYN).

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Tonight we'll talk with John Hermanson, one half of the duo Storyhill. John, along with Chris Cunningham formed Storyhill years ago as students at St. Olaf College in Northfield. Their partnership has led to several albums, the latest on Red House Records. They're in the studio now working on a new recording produced by Dan Wilson. In the second hour, we'll examine love relationships gone bad in music. Listen for a collection of songs about trust, infidelity, lies, questions, cheating and excuses from Charley Pride, Etta James, Tom Waits and more. Unfortunately there's a lot of music in the library about the topic. Fortunately, we'll only hear SOME.

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In the first hour: Natural calamities in music � earthquakes, volcanoes and floods.
As we move deeper into hurricane season we should remember that each developing storm has the potential to cause great havoc and at the same time, create great songs. Listen for nature's mayhem on Radio Heartland tonight with music from Johnny Cash, Marcia Ball, Elvis Costello, Neko Case, The Duhks (ducks), and more.

In hour two: Celtic musicians Dáithí Sproule (DAH-hee sp-ROLL) and Laura MacKenzie are both winners of Bush Foundation Artist Fellowships for 2009, and collaborators on a new recording called "The Pinery". Dáithí and Laura will perform in the studio and talk about their shared interest in traditional songs.

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Tonight we'll talk about the blues and the road with Charlie Parr. Charlie is a blues musician from Duluth, but is rarely home. He tours all over the world and the US and we were lucky enough to catch him at the end of a Western US tour, before he leaves for Europe, where he is something of a sensation. His latest album is "Roustabout". We'll also celebrate the 40th anniversary of Woodstock. Many of the artists who played on that historic event in 1969 are still recording and touring today. We'll hear music from Country Joe MacDonald, Joan Baez, Arlo Guthrie, Levon Helm and more.

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Every day is someone's birthday, and tonight we'll celebrate some very famous August birthdays from the Radio Heartland library of performers... Tony Bennett, Louis Armstrong, Eliza Gilkyson and Michael Johnson, just to name a few. In the second hour, it's all about Ella Fitzgerald. We'll meet Tina Fabrique (fah-BREEK), who portrays Ella Fitzgerald at the Guthrie this month. She'll talk about the magic of Fitzgerald, her life and times, and the joys and the rather large shoes she has to fill on the stage every night. We'll also play music from a few of the many artists who count Fitzgerald as one of their musical influences

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Tonight we'll chat with blues and folk artist Ray Bonneville. Ray tours all over the U-S and Canada and recently won a songwriting award. He was in town for some gigs including Red House Records' "Blues At The Barn" festival this weekend near Red Wing. We'll also revisit an interview with the cast of "When A Man Loves A Diva", a production currently running at the Lab Theater in Minneapolis. Dane Stauffer (STAW-fer), Julias Collins and Ben Bakken (BAH-ken), along with musical director Sanford Moore were in the studio earlier this spring.

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In the first hour we'll talk about summer festivals and the music industry in these difficult economic times. Eric Peltoneimi (PEL-toe-nee-mee) of Red House Records will join us. Red House is bringing back a popular outdoor music festival in August, and he's brought in some soon-to-be released music from Red House artists "The Wailin' Jennys" and "The Pines."

In the second hour, local jazz singer Connie Evingson joins us to examine the idea of the "tribute record". Connie has produced discs honoring Peggy Lee, Dave Frishberg and the Beatles, and is about to embark on a bi-monthly songwriter series at the Jungle Theater in Minneapolis.

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In the first hour tonight, our guest is Dan Newton, aka "Daddy Squeeze," the man behind the Café Accordion Orchestra, Jumbo YaYa, The Rockin' Pinecones, Art Carnage and many other local bands. Dan's musical tastes are as colorful as his many pairs of tennis shoes. In hour two, we'll meet the Roe Family Singers. The group was started by Kim and Quillen Roe and their love for old time music. The band grew, and grew... it's up to nine members now. They stopped in the Radio Heartland studio, eight and a half players, to play some songs from their latest album, "The Earth and All That Is In It."

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Tonight we'll investigate the subject of gambling in music. Don Feeney from the Minnesota Lottery had help from Radio Heartland listeners to find gambling music and used those suggestions in a speech at a gambling convention. In the second hour, we'll look ahead at Woody Guthrie's 97th birthday next week. Local musicians Charlie Maguire, Pop Wagner and Tony Glover stopped by the studio to play some Guthrie songs in tribute to the American legend. They'll be performing at the Ginkgo Coffeehouse on Guthrie's birthday Tuesday night. Listen to their performance in the Radio Heartland studios.

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Tonight, music for your Fourth of July holiday celebration. We scoured our library for good, old fashioned — or not — music about America, summertime, fireworks and patriotism. You'll hear music from James Taylor, Steve Earle, Norah Jones, Paul Robeson and more. In the second hour, we'll feature music from Dan Chouinard's (sheh-NARD) "Saturday Night at the Stage Door Piano Bar" concert recorded at the Fitzgerald Theater earlier this spring. Some of Dan�s guests: Prudence Johnson, Maria Jette (JET-tee), Vern Sutton, Yolanda Bruce, John Munson and more.

So this banjo player walks into a bar... That's the issue tonight. We'll have a visit in the studio from a Duluth-based band called Two Many Banjos and talk about the much loved, and maligned instrument and listen to some artists who used the banjo successfully. In the second hour, some duos made up of artists from different musical genres, and a visit in the studio from the Australian couple Kasey Chambers and Shane Nicholson. Their latest album is "Rattlin' Bones" and it's creating a buzz in the Americana music scene.

Tonight, on the eve of Father�s Day we�ll pay tribute to fathers and their musical offspring. We�ll have music by fathers and for fathers from the Guthrie clan, the Wainwrights, the Earles, the Coles and more. In the second hour, we�re paid a visit by the Baldwin sisters � Christina Baldwin and Jennifer Baldwin Peden (PEE-den). They�re involved in a production called �Sister Stories�, commissioned by the Nautilus Music Theater and written just for them by four different composers and writers. The show opens this week at the Playwright�s Center in Minneapolis. Also, songs about the constant struggle of leaving or staying in a relationship.

Tonight, we'll meet a creative and unusual group of musicians who hail from different musical backgrounds to form a kind of music they call "bluegrassical." The Orange Mighty Trio are our guests in the first hour. They're releasing their latest CD, "Infrastructure" this week in the Twin Cities. In hour two, it's the height of commencement season all over the region. It's a time of exciting new beginnings. We'll look at a series of songs that COULD be mini-commencement addresses, uplifting messages about the next step in life and starting anew. Listen for music from Eric Bibb, Dan Wilson, Ann Reed and Richard Julian among others.

Tonight, some music about trees, friends, family and hometowns: Songwriters love to write about going home. It's good to some, and not so good to others. And we'll meet a trio of local musicians who all grew up in the same southwestern Minnesota county and now live in the Twin Cities, Nikki and the RueMates. In the second hour we'll hear excerpts from a concert by Jearlyn Steele recorded at the Fitzgerald Theater earlier this spring. Jearlyn, along with her family and friends, put on a show that was part of MPR's Troubadour Concert series that toured all over Minnesota this winter.

Hour 1
Nanci Griffith - This Old Town
Gary Myrick - Home Town Waltz
Steve Earle - The Hometown Blues
Slim Dunlap - Hate This Town
Nikki and the RueMates - Down On Me (Live In-Studio Performance)
Nikki and the RueMates - I Am Your Angel (Live In-Studio Performance)
Nikki and the RueMates - I Am A Tree (Live In-Studio Performance)
The Roe Family Singers - The Buckeye Tree
Natalie Merchant - Bury Me Under The Weeping Willow
John Gorka - Branching Out Carrie Newcomer - There Is A Tree

Tonight, we'll look at the so-called "hot club" music trend in Minnesota music. Several local bands that have taken on the style of music most often associated with Django Reinhardt and the "Gypsy Jazz" sound of early 20th Century Paris. A local band - Gypsy Mania - is out with a new CD and they're our guests in the studio during the first hour. In hour two, we'll meet a local songwriter who has taken on the task of writing one song a week, every week, for one year. James Hersch is the musician behind the "52 Song" project and he posts a new song each week on his website. We'll also celebrate the 100th anniversary of the birth of Benny Goodman.